Laura Bush: George Won't Second-Guess Obama

Laura Bush told ABC's “Good Morning America” today that husband George W. Bush “as a former president owes President Obama his silence on issues, and that there's no reason to second guess any decisions that he makes."

Bush has not given any public interviews or commented critically on the new administration since leaving office in January.

The former first lady did, however, say she respects former Vice President Dick Cheney's right to challenge the Obama administration’s opposing views on terrorism and understands the need for Cheney to defend his policies and the policies of the Bush administration.

"I think that's [Cheney's] right as a citizen of the U.S.,” she said from the family’s new home in Dallas.

“You know, these are issues that are really important to him, and he knows a lot about them,” she added. “I think he also feels obligated. So I understand why he wants to speak out."

Cheney has put up a strong defense of the Bush administration’s national-security policies in recent weeks and, in a speech delivered last month, outlined his approach to key issues regarding national security and fighting terrorism.

Laura Bush told ABC her husband's national security policies will, over time, secure his own administration's positive legacy.

"It's easy to say when we're so much further along after Sept. 11 that, well nothing else happened,” she said. There are different times, and it's easy to look back and say, 'We should have done this' or 'We should have done that.' But, in fact, we are safe, and we didn't have another attack. And I think that's important."